Long Island Parent In Opposition To Mask Mandate

LONG BEACH, NY — The criticism of the state's mask mandate in school is minimal, but the opposition is loud.

Sean Hayden, who lives in Long Beach, is the father of three children (8, 10 and 12). He is against the government ordering masks in the classroom while the COVID-19 delta variant is out of control.

He is keeping them in school with masks, for now. But he is not quiet about his feelings.

"It should be parent's choice," Hayden told Patch.

He is not contacting the school to voice his displeasure, realizing "nothing I can do at this point is going to work," and recognizes that removing his children from school in protest would "not be beneficial."

Hayden, though, thinks masks don't serve a purpose.

"If they work so good, then why does everyone need to wear them?" Hayden asked.

Despite the rise of COVID-19 cases across the country, Hayden looks at the mask mandate beyond any public health initiative.

"The Delta variant is a bunch of malarkey," he said. "It's a show. It's because the schools don't want to get in trouble."

However, the number of positive cases stands at over 3.3 percent with an uptick in hospitalizations and ICU patients across the state.

That said, Hayden, an FDNY lieutenant based in Far Rockaway, is not concerned about his family's health as, he claims, those getting severely ill from COVID-19 have "immune symptom problems and overweight."

He sees no rationale for youngsters to wear masks, claiming they "have zero risk of going to the hospital and getting really sick. It should be my choice to protect my kid. I don't think a mask protects them. I don't think they need to be protected from anything."

As for the bigger picture of protecting the children from potential spreading to others, "I took that risk. I'm an adult," Hayden said. "I don't understand why people are trying to protect me."

Hayden has even stronger thoughts about the COVID-19 vaccine infiltrating his family. He is refusing to get it or let his children have the shot. He doesn't consider himself an "anti-vaxxer," despite also not getting a flu shot.

His wife, a teacher, did get the vaccine and suffered a breakthrough case thereafter with a fever for a couple of days.

"I don't think there was ever a chance, even if my wife wasn't vaccinated, she would be in the hospital," Hayden said.

As the only family member vaccinated, Hayden's wife will not participate in the booster shot once available later this year.

"She got it reluctantly," Hayden said. "After getting sick she was like, 'What was the point?'"

His son was positive for COVID-19 as well but was asymptomatic.

With discussions to mandate vaccinations for school-aged children, "that's where I'm going to have a problem," Hayden admitted. "Everything about these vaccines, they don't make sense to me."

Because people like Hayden are unwilling to get the vaccine, achieving herd immunity in the country seems like a daunting prospect.

"Why can't we just live with it? Just like we live with the flu. There will never be a time where there's a zero COVID," Hayden said.

But, stats have indicated almost exclusively-- those hospitalized were not vaccinated.

"That's my choice. I'm not hurting anybody out there if I don't get it," Hayden said. "I can get sick just like the person who's vaccinated. They can do the same thing as me-- spread it. I'm taking the choice and the risk of going to the hospital and dying."